One of Our Own: Iranians Mourn Death of Muhammad Ali

(Ali visiting Iran's official news agency, IRNA. Source: IRNA archive)

“May the Almighty receive Muhammad Ali -- the Greatest in the ring and in the fight for justice, dignity and peace -- in His infinite mercy" twitted Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday, expressing condolence for the demise of a legendary figure whom many Iranians identified with through a time span of nearly half a century.

“Tea and Hookah for Free If Muhammad Ali Wins” reads a flyer hanging the wall of an old teahouse in Tehran. The picture is dated 1971, hours before The Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and nemesis Joe Frazier for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. Iranians’ heart was with the Muslim Convert whose first name and family name belonged to two of the most revered figures in Islam, especially its Shia branch (though few Iranians dropped his pre-conversion family name, "Clay" –he was Muhammad Ali Clay.)

(Teahouse offers free tea and hookah if Ali beats Frazier.)

Since the news of his death was released, pictures of his second visit to Tehran in the early 90s were published. Muhammad Ali in Friday prayers of Tehran, Muhammad Ali in the book fair, Muhammad Ali in IRNA, Iran’s official news agency.

“People had gathered in front of the hotel to welcome Muhammad Ali,” remembers an IRNA correspondent in Isfahan. “The boxing legend welled up and asked me to tell them to pray for him” in his battle against Parkinson, he remembers. “They raised their hands towards the sky, saddened by seeing Muhammad Ali's tremor, and prayed for his health.”

A former sports official who arranged Ali's Iran tour at that time claims that he made a second, lesser known, visit to Iran three months later. "Muhammad Ali had a key role in war prisoner swap" between Iran and Iraq says Vahid Moradi, then PR Director of the Department of Physical Education.

Javad Zarif was not the only foreign ministry official to express condolences for Ali. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, speaker of the ministry, also regretted the death of the boxing legend in an Instagram post. “What made his name eternal, is what the Iranian culture and tradition calls pahlavani,”, a spirit of chivalry and standing up for the oppressed and the poor. “The name of Muhammad Ali will be a reminder of defiance against imperialism, hegemony, and warmongering forever,” wrote Jaberi.

“God bless him” was the most common comment on the news of his death. “Muhammad Ali was a legendary athlete in the history of Islam. Pray for the blessing of his soul,” read one comment. “Muhammad Ali found the path towards Truth and converted into a Shia Muslim," claimed another reader, a hint of how strongly had Iranians not only identified with the boxer, but also cut his image in their own favorite shape.